Punjab Province

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan
The Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency (PHATA) has been selected for the UN Habitat Scroll of Honour Award 2026, bringing international recognition to Punjab’s efforts to expand access to affordable housing for low-income households.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme has recognised PHATA for its work through the Punjab government’s flagship Apni Chhat Apna Ghar Programme, which provides interest free housing loans to eligible low-income families to enable them to construct homes on land they already own.

UN-Habitat said the Punjab agency was being honoured for its “significant contribution to expanding access to adequate, safe and affordable housing for low-income households.” The UN body highlighted the programme’s combination of public financing, digital technology and accountability mechanisms as part of its approach to delivering affordable housing.

The recognition places Punjab’s housing initiative among a small group of projects and institutions selected internationally for the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour, one of the world’s most prestigious awards in the field of human settlements.

Established in 1989, the Scroll of Honour recognises individuals, organisations, institutions and initiatives that have made outstanding contributions to adequate housing, sustainable urban development and improvements in the quality of urban life. The 2026 awards have a particular focus on adequate housing and progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 11, which calls for inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has been invited to Muscat, Oman, to receive the award during the global observance of World Habitat Day on October 5. The ceremony is being held at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.

According to the formal notification reported earlier, PHATA and the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar Programme were selected following a competitive evaluation of nominations from around the world. UN-Habitat Executive Director and UN Under Secretary General Anacláudia Marinheiro Centeno Rossbach said the agency and programme deserved formal recognition for their contribution to increasing affordable housing access for low-income households.

The Apni Chhat Apna Ghar Programme has emerged as one of Punjab’s largest publicly backed housing-finance initiatives. Rather than relying solely on government construction of housing units, the programme provides interest free financing that enables eligible households possessing their own land to construct homes.

UN-Habitat said the model was helping translate the right to adequate housing into improvements in security, dignity and well-being while also supporting local employment and economic activity. It described the scale of the initiative and its financing model as demonstrating the potential for inclusive housing solutions to generate lasting social and economic impact.

According to figures reported as of September 10, 2026, interest-free loans worth Rs 259.68 billion had been disbursed to 200,072 applicants across Punjab under the programme.

The scale of the programme is particularly significant against the backdrop of Pakistan’s longstanding housing finance constraints, where low-income and informally employed households have traditionally struggled to obtain conventional mortgage financing.

The Scroll of Honour recognition also comes as adequate housing remains a major international challenge. UN Habitat estimates that around 2.8 billion people worldwide face some form of housing inadequacy, including nearly 1.1 billion living in slums and informal settlements. The organisation has consequently made adequate housing for all a central theme of World Habitat Day 2026.

For Punjab, the award represents more than recognition of an individual housing project. It brings international attention to a financing model designed to connect public funding with households that already possess land but lack the financial resources needed to construct adequate homes.

The global recognition could also provide an opportunity for the province’s housing authorities to share their experience with policymakers and urban-development institutions from other countries. Following World Habitat Day, Muscat is scheduled to host workshops from October 6 to 8 aimed at exchanging knowledge and experience among participants.

The award puts PHATA and Punjab’s affordable housing initiative on an international platform at a time when governments worldwide are searching for scalable approaches to address housing shortages, affordability pressures and rapid urbanisation.

Lahore : ReNews Pakistan
Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Director General Tahir Farooq has directed officials to accelerate land acquisition and development work in LDA City while ensuring complete transparency in land procurement and compensation payments, warning that strict action will be taken over any complaints of irregularities.
The LDA director general issued the directives during a visit to LDA City, where the Director LDA City, Director Engineering and Director Land Acquisition Collector (LAC) briefed him on land acquisition, ongoing development projects and other related matters.
Officials informed the DG that the land acquisition process in Mouza Toor Warraich was progressing rapidly. Farooq inspected ongoing development work as well as land already acquired by the authority and directed officials to further expedite the acquisition of the remaining land in the area.
He said representatives of all relevant departments had been deployed at the LDA One Window Cell to facilitate citizens. Revenue staff and LDA teams are also available at the facility to provide guidance and assistance on land acquisition and other related matters.
Later, Farooq chaired a meeting to review development work, land acquisition and other matters concerning LDA City. He directed officials to ensure transparency at every stage of land acquisition and compensation payments to affected landowners, warning that strict action would be taken if any complaint was received.
The DG also ordered the immediate removal of encroachments from acquired land and directed officials to clear such properties at the earliest and install boards identifying them as LDA-owned land.
He specifically directed that LDA ownership boards be installed on acquired land along Canal Road and Ring Road to protect the authority's property from encroachments and illegal occupation.
Farooq also ordered the complete computerisation of land acquisition records and called for stronger coordination among all relevant departments. He directed officials to deploy additional machinery to accelerate development work and ensure that construction activities in LDA City continue without interruption.
The DG instructed the authorities concerned to take special measures to provide residential facilities to citizens and expedite the completion of development infrastructure across the housing scheme.
During the meeting, officials also briefed him on measures being taken and progress made in land acquisition in Mouza Halloki. Farooq directed the authorities to take similar measures to advance land acquisition in other mouzas falling within LDA City.
He stressed that development activities in LDA City should continue uninterrupted and that land acquisition and other issues potentially affecting the pace of the project should be resolved on a priority basis.
The meeting was attended by the Additional DG Urban Planning, Director LDA City, Director Engineering, Director LAC, Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue, DCR, Assistant Commissioner Nishtar Town and other officials concerned.

Rawalpindi | ReNews Pakistan
The cost of the Rawalpindi Ring Road project has surged to more than Rs 53 billion from an initial estimate of Rs 22.82 billion, as repeated delays and revisions have left the major infrastructure scheme incomplete around five years after its launch.

The 38.3 kilometre, six-lane Ring Road project was awarded in March 2022 with the objective of improving traffic flow, strengthening regional connectivity and easing pressure on Rawalpindi’s existing road network.

However, delays in the project’s execution and subsequent revisions have pushed its cost up by around Rs 30 billion, taking the overall estimated expenditure beyond Rs 53 billion.

The Punjab government has announced several deadlines for completion of the project over the years, while preparations for its inauguration were reportedly made on two occasions. Despite these efforts, the road has yet to become fully operational.

Sources in the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) said approximately 90 percent of construction work has now been completed and work on the remaining portions is progressing rapidly.

The prolonged delay and sharp escalation in cost have raised concerns over the financial burden on the public exchequer, particularly given the scale and strategic importance of the project. The Ring Road is regarded as one of the largest infrastructure projects undertaken in Rawalpindi.

Alongside construction delays and rising costs, the project has also faced scrutiny over alleged alterations to its original design.

An inquiry into the alleged design changes was launched in July, with Additional Chief Secretary Ahmed Raza Sarwar seeking the complete record of the project for examination.

Issues relating to No Objection Certificates (NOCs), approved layouts, access roads and other regulatory clearances have also become the subject of legal disputes, with some matters reaching the courts.

Questions surrounding alterations to the Ring Road’s original design first emerged in 2022 during the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf government’s tenure. The controversy subsequently led to the transfer of then Rawalpindi Commissioner Muhammad Mehmood, Deputy Commissioner Anwar-ul-Haq and several other officials.

With most of the physical work now reported to have been completed, attention remains focused on the completion of the remaining construction, resolution of regulatory and legal issues and the final cost of a project whose estimated expenditure has more than doubled since its inception.